he Franklin Avenue subway station has a wheelchair symbol on its door, an elevator that works despite its appearance and a wide platform. But when the train finally shows up, a step of about eight inches separates the platform from the train--and separates Anthony Trocchia from the rest of the passengers who step into the train.

Trocchia waits for the next train to come, but again the gap is too high. The third train in the C line is far from the platform. There is an empty space between the platform and the car when the doors open, and Trocchia has to wait once more. After 40 minutes of watching trains pass him by, a car opens its doors and the separation is small enough to let wheelchair users on. Franklin Avenue is one of the 40 stations that the MTA New York City Transit designates as "fully accessible to disabled people." This means that only 8.5 percent out of 468 stations in the five boroughs are, in theory, available for wheelchair users. Accessibility symbols do not take into account the long waiting periods resulting from a system that has not matched the platform height to that of the cars.

dvocacy group lawyers are studying the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) if it does not implement a plan to improve the situation. According to South Brooklyn Legal Services Corp.'s attorney, Lee Ginsburg, "any decision will be taken by mid-February, after meeting with the MTA's lawyers."

"Lawsuits are the only language corporations understand," says Trocchia, president of Disabled in Action. He points out that "the only reason why buses are accessible is because of the lawsuits in the '80s." (LINK TO THE NEXT PAGE SIDEBAR)

Augustine Angba, chief of the complaints department at New York City Transit, says the MTA has to "follow federal, state and local government regulations" when it includes stations in the "capital program to improve vehicles and stations." Angba expects to increase the number of "accessible stations to 67 by the year 2010, and to 100 by the year 2020." "Heck, I may be dead by then," says Trocchia.

Tne only accesible subway stations for disabled Print the accesible map

Mouse over the image to see what the NYC subway looks like for wheelchair users. Click on it to have a printable version.

 




Old Structures,
New Problems

NYC Transit is studying a pilot program to increase accessibility in the subway. The program, which intends to make all stations accessible at a non determined date, is now being conducted as a study that reveals some of the main structural problems in the subway stations.

  • The rush hour: During morning rush hours (6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.) the weight of the passengers makes the cars literally "sink" below the platforms height. MTA is looking for a hydraulic suspension system that avoids the different heights created by a crowded or empty cars.

 

  • The drains: Modifications in the platforms are being developed to make them higher so they can reach the train cars without any problem. But the lateral drains that allow evacuating water in case of rain or snow can be blocked if the platform is too high.

 

  • The surface elevators: Some stations face structural problems that do not allow installing elevators. According to MTA engineers, the only vertical corridors that would allow the installation of elevators have their exits in the middle of transited roads.